Systematic exploring domestic waste sorting behavior and influence mechanism of international students in China: based on the PKIC analysis framework

Qiong Zhang (), Yun Li (), Lei Ding () and Bin Jiang ()
Additional contact information
Qiong Zhang: Ningbo Polytechnic
Yun Li: Ningbo Polytechnic
Lei Ding: Ningbo Polytechnic
Bin Jiang: Ningbo Polytechnic

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2025, vol. 27, issue 5, No 26, 10439-10467

Abstract: Abstract The target group of domestic waste sorting (DWS) behavior focuses on urban residents, rural residents, college students and so on, while ignoring the comprehensive disclosure of the impact mechanism of international students’ DWS behavior. In this study, the PKIC analysis framework with 16 observed variables in four latitudes of “Personal Cognition, Knowledge and Education, Institutional Norms and Collective Action” is proposed, and a modified Structural Equation Model is employed to systematically reveal the main influencing factors and paths of international students’ DWS behavior in Zhejiang Province. The results illustrate that the DWS behavior of international students in China conforms to the PKIC analysis framework. Among them, the comprehensive influence of “Knowledge and Education” on the DWS behavior of international students is the largest (0.452), while the influence of “Institutional Norms” (0.297) is the least, which means that the influence of institutional norms on the group environmental behavior is weak in the context of stranger social environment. The DWS behavior of international students is comprehensively affected by 13 observed variables, and the degree of mastery of waste classification knowledge had the greatest influence, with a coefficient of 0.364. In addition, the difference of the individual background of international students has a significant impact on the DWS behavior of international students, which is reflected in the different educational levels and the time length of studying in China. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the environmental education and related policy promotion and guidance of short-term international students in China, which includes improving the practice of waste classification knowledge of international students through a variety of environmental education channels, strengthening collective action guidance, and playing a positive role of peer guidance.

Keywords: Domestic waste separation; International students; Environmental behavior; Environmental education; Structural equation model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-023-04317-3 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:endesu:v:27:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s10668-023-04317-3

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/10668

DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-04317-3

Access Statistics for this article

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development is currently edited by Luc Hens

More articles in Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().